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The 2012 Election

The recent political conventions provided American voters with a very clear picture of the choices to be made in the November election. The political parties and their respective platforms offered detailed explanations of the values each espouses.

There are major challenges facing Americans as we move further into the 21st century. Each of us must decide which values, and the language used to explain them, resonate best with our own sense of values.

I am concerned about the lack of outrage at the overt and clearly purposeful effort to disenfranchise millions of Americans. I am angry because we have historically held ourselves above other nations as a model of democracy. Well- intentioned statesmen and others travel abroad to monitor the elections in other countries. Will we not have need of such monitors given the insulting and disgraceful efforts already underway to thwart the democratic process by intimidating voters and poll-tax like barriers?

We cannot allow this travesty. Each and every one of us young, old, and in between must vote in November. Talk to those who feel “my vote won’t count anyway” ; remind them how important each and every vote is particularly given how close the upcoming election is projected to be. Someone said recently “we have the right to vote, but we don’t have to vote.” I say we do have to vote. This election represents that much. There is a lot of fairly recent history involving voting rights… a lot of suffering and loss of life. We owe it to their memory. We cannot dishonor their struggle with apathy and inaction.

We can and we must vote. If we don’t we will deserve what we get. The responsibility is ours.